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Purpose: Hydrogen Fuel: Hydrogen is very close to being a perfect fuel and is undoubtedly the best that will be available for future use. Aside from being abundant and inexpensive, hydrogen is also clean, efficient, and renewable. Hydrogen will most likely be the replacement for all other fuels that are used today. Hydrogen is already used in many applications, fuel included. NASA powers their space vehicles with hydrogen as they have done so for a long time. Their are many products that are used everyday that are made using hydrogen:
Benefits of Hydrogen Fuel: There are many benefits, and few drawbacks, of using hydrogen fuel as opposed to fossil fuel. Hydrogen fuel is beneficial environmentally, as well as economically. Reasons why hydrogen is our best choice are below. Major Reserves Hydrogen, one of the most abundant elements on earth, can be easily extracted from water. The most common method of achieving this is through electrolysis, although there are some organisms, such as algae and bacteria, that can produce hydrogen from water. Hydrogen is produced by splitting a water molecule into its individual atoms, two hydrogen and one oxygen. When the hydrogen is burned it bonds with oxygen, producing water vapor. Jobs Once hydrogen is commercially produced, thousands of jobs will be created along with it. These jobs could range from scientific research, manufacturing, construction, to sales. Hydrogen production should also be good for the economy since it can be produced here and will not need to be imported. Less Pollution Less pollution will be produced since the product of hydrogen combustion is water. This can, in effect, clean our air, leading to less health problems, less smog and less atmospheric strain. Less smog will lead to less acidic rain, making for better water. And since the use of oil will be greatly reduced, so should the number of oil spills. The environment will become more stable as less toxic chemicals are released into the air and more ecosystems will be able to survive. It is obvious that hydrogen fuel is the most environmentally-friendly of all efficient fuels. Comparison: Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Gasoline Powered Internal Combustion
Why isn’t Hydrogen Already in Use? There are still a few technical things to be worked out before hydrogen fuel becomes our primary fuel. Most of these problems have already been solved and are currently undergoing tests. Hydrogen should begin being sold very soon. Safety Passengers of hydrogen fueled vehicles should not have to worry about gas tanks exploding since hydrogen is extremely flammable. Although accidents involving hydrogen have been seldom, there have been some; remember Hindenberg? Methods of controlling hydrogen are being perfected and safety shouldn’t be a main concern in the future. Storage Hydrogen must be in a liquid state for large quantities of it to be stored. Since hydrogen liquefies at -252°C, it would be difficult to store in a gas tank for a long period of time. A new gas tank would have to be purchased to modify a gasoline-fueled car to a hydrogen fueled one. This tank is so insulated that virtually no heat can get in. Hydrogen Production It takes quite a bit of energy to split up water molecules. Though other methods are being researched, solar power seems to be the best way to power the production of hydrogen fuel. Fuel Cells A fuel cell is the actual mechanism that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water. Heat and light are types of energy that are easiest to produce from hydrogen and oxygen. It is more difficult to generate electricity from the two gases directly.
Chemistry: At the anode, two hydrogen molecules (2H2), reacts with four hydroxide molecules (4OH-), to produce four water molecules (4H2O) and four spare electrons (4e). The four electrons then travel to the cathode where they react with one oxygen molecule (O2) and two water molecules (2H2O), to produce four hydroxide molecules (4OH). The chemical formulas are as follows: At the anode:
Other uses: Fuel cells can be utilized in applications other than just automobiles. Here is an audio excerpt on the topic by David Hammond of the Great Lakes Radio Consortium. http://www.glrc.org/archive/1999/june99/jun28_n2.html
The Production of Hydrogen: The reaction of hydrogen with water is exothermic, meaning it produces energy. This is ideal for our cars. However, when water is turned back into hydrogen and oxygen, a problem arises. Water can easily be turned back into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis, but electrolysis is an endothermic reaction, meaning it uses up energy. Unfortunately, a large amount of energy is required to produce a substantial amount of hydrogen fuel. Currently, we do not have a lot of energy to spare, so alternative means of energy production must be realized. Right now, the most popular idea is solar power. Much research is being conducted on splitting up water molecules using the energy of the sun. Chemical Formulas: 2H + O ® H2O + ENERGY Two hydrogen atoms bond with one oxygen atom to produce water and energy (usually in the form of heat and light). H2O + ENERGY ® 2H + O When energy is added to water (usually in the form of electricity), it splits it into the hydrogen and oxygen atoms. It produces twice as much hydrogen as it does oxygen. Electrolysis: The most common method of producing hydrogen is electrolysis, where electricity is used to extract hydrogen from water. Below is a diagram of how electrolysis works.
When electricity is applied to water, the oxygen atoms are attracted to the anode, and the hydrogen atoms are attracted to the cathode. This splits up the water molecules, and the two gases bubble up into the air. The hydrogen can then be captured. Photolysis: The process of taking energy directly from the sun and using it to produce hydrogen is called photolysis. Solar power is a practical source of producing energy to produce hydrogen, since solar power is renewable and produces no waste. Photochemical Process: In this process, light and chemical reactions are used to produce hydrogen. Semiconductors(solar panels) are set up so that the are partly immersed in water. When hit by light, the semiconductors produce electricity which is sent to the water. This splits the water into its hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The U.S. Department of Energy is now able to produce hydrogen with solar power using about 15% of the sun’s energy. Photobiological Process: Hydrogen can also be produced from water by some organisms, such as algae and bacteria. Some bacteria can produce up to 20 times their own mass in hydrogen every minute. Some organisms also have the ability to produce hydrogen from sewage or food waste. This method of hydrogen production is very efficient. Semiconductor Drawbacks: When using semiconductors to produce hydrogen, there is still some work to be done. Semiconductors can’t quite generate the voltage required to be efficient. They also tend to corrode after some time in the water. One option to solve the voltage problem, would be to use a metal catalyst to speed up the reaction. A protective coating or stronger materials could help to keep the semiconductors in good shape. Current Applications: Ford Motor Company - Ford has partnered with the US DOE to develop fully functional, zero-emission fuel cell power-system technology for automotive applications. General Motors - Ballard Power Systems secured a $3.6 million contract with GM. GM will use the Ballard fuel cells in their research and development of fuel cell powered vehicles. Ballard Power Systems - Ballard Fuel Cells are currently being used by leading international companies including Daimler-Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Honda, Volkswagen, Volvo, Matsushita Electric Works, GPU International, GEC ALSTHOM, and Cinergy to develop zero-emission vehicles. Pic at http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/fuelcell/benefits.htm
Conclusion: Fossil fuels are running out, and as they are being used, the environment is being destroyed. We need to change the way we power our vehicles and other mechanisms that use fossil fuel. Because it is clean, efficient, and abundant, it is my opinion that hydrogen fuel would be the best alternative to fossil fuels. There are so many positive aspects of using hydrogen fuel that it is sure to become widespread in the next decade.
Links: http://www.ttcorp.com/nha/index.htm http://www.eren.doe.gov/hydrogen/ http://www.eren.doe.gov/erec/factsheets/rnwenrgy.html Hydrogen Information Network Homepage Office of Transportation Technologies US Council for Automotive Research The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s David Hammond Penn State Earth and Mineral Sciences California Air Resources Board
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By Russ Saunders, Sean-Paul Nuccio, Al Seafeldt, and Kevin Meboe